Getting The Team Back
by drageionel543
Summary: Fang is gone,the team is in ruins,no matter how much Max dosen't want to admit it.4 years have passed since Fang has left,and its turning to be 5 soon.Will the flock just succumb to another year of living on empty?Or will they do something about it? FAX.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys,its me again. I'm starting on Maximum Ride,cause I just have a whole lot of new ideas now. Besides, M.R characters have wings!I mean,how cool is that?Never mind. I don't own any of Maximum Ride. No Dylan here. He's just a pain in the ass. Oh,i only read till the book before Max,so if I leave anything out,don't throw a rock at my yea?I know Fang left,but thats probably it. Sorry.I'll try to finish to date as soon as I can alright?**

**Review please?I'd love to improve. How bout say,a ten?That would be .**

**Chapter 1:Rescue the old.**

4 years. 4 long years since Fang had left us. Left me. Deserted us,ditched us,thrown us in the trash. To heck with him I thought,I'm long over him. I don't need him. None of the flock do,and especially me. I can pretty much handle things myself. I'm Maximum Ride remember? The strong,dependable leader of a group of mu- human avian hybrids. We were FINE.

Who am I kidding?

4 years have gone by,and when they say time flies when you're having fun,oh,then trust me,this 4 years have been the most BORING of my life. We didn't even pretty much fight Flyboys anymore. Appearing maybe thrice or if we were lucky,four times a year. They were somewhat 'lazy' even,their attacks were sloppy,even their punches lacked power. The flock was on a roll. For 4 years,no one had bothered us,no death threats,no guns at our faces,no nothing!Don't tell the flock I said this,but I kinda missed us fighting as a team. Something about the possibility of losing your life alongside your best friends forged bonds that no one could break. And apparently,that bond was slowly diminishing. I bet it probably diminished a long time ago,since Fang abandoned us. Yea,I'm using the word abandoned. I mean come on,you make me fall in love with you,before you disappear for 20 f**king years,and all you leave me is a note?No email,no phone number,no nothing. Thanks Fang,kudos for being a heart-breaker. Oh yea,if you're probably reading this and wondering, "Oh goodness gracious,Max just said a swear word!". Look,a lot of things change when you turn 19. Especially when you realize that your little world isn't near half-perfect.

Here's an update about our flock.

Well,i won't update you about me. I'm totally cool right?Time only makes someone stronger,and I bet as hell I'm stronger than I ever was before. All the girl stuff I guess,growing taller,getting a curvy figure,which I hoped Fang would see,but he wouldn't,my ehem..'assets' got bigger as well,and of course,my wings. So normal eh?

Gasman was thirteen now,and his hair had grown longer. He'd still been the same though,his wings grew longer,and he was almost as tall as my new height now. I still grow okay?He was somewhat mature,though he and Iggy were definitely still partners in crime,in fact,they had even grown so much closer together,and they seemed to forget that Fang was gone,or at least for the past four years. Gasman and Fang were really close before he left,but it seemed that Fang was forgotten now.

Iggy's sight was returning. Now he could feel things with his hands,and read and understand everything. It was like he had eyes on his fingers,which made the leader burden lessen just by a bit. He was 19 now,but his maturity never seemed to get into his head. He and Gasman made any kinds of bombs,fart bombs,stink bombs,slime bombs which I hate the most! Don't ask why. You wouldn't want to know the disgust I had gone through.

Nudge,gosh,being 15 just made her a whole lot more talkative,and a whole more Nudge-like. Was I the only mature girl around here?Her hair had grown pretty long by now,just like she wanted,and now if she didn't get what she wanted,she would whine. Like a 5 year old. And if you think that wasn't enough,she actually thought Gasman was cute now. She admitted to me once,during last Christmas,saying that Gasman was adorable and quite handsome. But she was even more sweet than ever,so it was fine.

Angel didn't develop any more new freaky powers,thank God,but her older ones had gotten stronger. For instance,she could now actually read and change minds within a mile of her brain radius,or as Angel called it,her 'mind-circle'. I was quick to instill in her mind that reading and changing our minds was strictly prohibited,though it was allowed in certain 'sticky' situations.

And gosh,Fang,if he was still part of the flock that is. I'd always considered him to be taking a long break,but I'd never spoke about him to anyone. The only person that I would talk to about Fang,was Fang,and sometimes a pesky little Angel would realize that and irritate me. I would love to talk to you about Fang,but even I don't know how he is right now. Dead,or alive?Short,or tall?Dumb question. He would definitely be taller than me. His wings?Imagine them,long,sleek,black and powerful. I had read a comic once about this comic-book fighter called Nightwing,I bet if he was real,he would look just like Fang. Strong,muscular and...stop it. You're supposed to forget him Max. Forget him. Now.

The past 4 years,we had been home-tutored by Jeb and Mom. Apparently,if they were smart enough to create winged-humans by mistake,then they could definitely teach 12th grade and below. I wasn't going to college or anything like that. Going with the flow,was all I did. Of course,my main mission now was to find out who the rest of the flock's parents were.

Oh yeah,I kinda forgot Total. Long story short,he was a dad now. Guess who the mom was.

It was December 23rd now,just 2 days to Christmas. It would be five years soon. Five years soon everything changed. No one dared to admit,but when Fang left,something in us changed,or died. I didn't know about the rest,Fang wasn't actually one of those fuzzy wuzzy memories that got your head all smiling. He was something that you filed in your mental cabinet as "DO NOT OPEN:HARMFUL CONTENT".

On the bright side,me and Ella had gotten pretty close,and tight,as you humans would say. We were sisters,and I was glad there actually was someone who understood me. We did talk about Fang once,and that led me to crying like a baby. I guess it was one of those leave-it-alone-and-don't-bring-it-up-ever-again-things. She never spoke about Fang again.

For the dark side,when Fang left,something in me died. Though Fang wasn't the type you called fun and sweet,loving and full of raw raw emotion,things just were much...happier. But he wasn't here. I just can't seem to get that into my thick avian skull can I.

It was like any other day. Christmas did get me fired up,but not to the extent that Angel,Nudge and Gazzy was. They helped Mom and Jeb(still no Dad) to 'decorate' the Christmas tree. It stood in the living room,blinking brightly,flickering occasionally due to Nudge's overloading of the sockets. Christmas 'balls'(haha!)hung,candy canes,the usual as always. I liked the top the most. Usually,people put a star,but ours was special. It was an angel,and its wings were open and stretched out,which imitated us avian-hybrids.

Well,being home alone again sucks,cause Nudge and Angel convinced everyone except me to go shopping for presents. Probably me excluded,cause who knows if Angel had used her mind-circle again. Present shopping just wasn't my thing,and even if it was,no one could get what I wanted. And being home along sucks because I tend to find my legs being sucked like a magnet towards Fang's old room. Mom still kept it clean,in hopes that it would find its owner again,but to me and the rest of the flock,it brought back bittersweet memories. I'd never like entering it,cause it always held that musty old smell that was so Fang-like. You would see and touch things that reminded you of our former second-in-command,and that only made your heart gape in anger and rage and hurt and disappointment and..never mind. His laptop was untouched,for how long I didn't know,but it stung,seeing something that was forgotten,left and chucked on the shelf. Just like us. Just like me.

I flopped myself on Fang's bed,black sheets,with velvet stripes trailing down the covers. Tears flowed down my cheeks again,leaving wet trails of disappointment and hurt down my face. It became somewhat like a habit now,and the tears just came and came. I pushed the pillow down on my face,trying to muffle my pathetic whimpering. Imagine me,Maximum Ride,being reduced to such a shitty state. _Love hurts._

When the tears dried up,i got up,and glanced around the room,hoping that Fang would just appear behind me without a sound,like he always used to. Walking around,i saw the familiar picture,at the very same spot it stood for the past 4 years. It showed me and Fang,holding hands,and his left wing was draped around mine,covering my entire body length and wrapping around my shoulder. It was magnificently beautiful. I so had to thank Gasman and Nudge for sneaking up on our 'date' to take that picture of us. It was the only material object that came closest to Fang.

Sitting down at Fang's desk,i let out a soft sigh,and flicked the switch on the laptop on. It loaded pretty quick,and soon I was reading Fang's blog. Usually it was a daily diary,about Fang's adventures with his new flock,hopefully temporary flock,and his usual getting into trouble kinda thing. I guess it was a boy thing. Call me a sexist pig and whatever,but many men have hurt me,in the worst kind of ways imaginable. Sometimes, Fang's blog would mention something about the old flock,his old gang. It never lasted more than a paragraph though. It hurt Fang as much as it hurt us,but still,he promised. That cheating liar. I hate you Fang.

Scrolling down,i was surprised to see his newest entry when the page loaded. My eyes already widened at the title,and the date it was published. He had just posted it a few hours ago,and the title almost made me cry.

'Date:23rd Dec.

You are visitor:Think of your own number,than multiply it by 100000.

Title:Stuff. And Max.

Okay,so the title isn't about stuff. Not at all. Max,wherever you are,i sure hope you're reading this blog,its my only way of staying in touch with you. And the flock of course.

First of all, Merry Christmas!And a happy new year!Next.

Secondly,I'm doing fine,my new flock is okay,and they've gotten to terms that I might just leave them one day. They're old enough to take care of themselves now,so they don't really need a leader or anything like that. I've just always been in charge I guess.

Thirdly,I'm leaving them. Its better to go solo from now on,since I'm the only one among the new flock who has parents. Or at least,i HAD parents. I'm the bad blood as usual,and I don't want anyone to get hurt in the process. One of us almost died because of a Flyboy attack recently. They're increasing in numbers,and we aren't. But we'll be fine. I'll be fine. Or at least for the moment.

Fourth,to my good old flock,or at least,to my former flock,i just want to say,that I miss you guys so much. I know,I'm not the most emotional or huggish kinda guy on the planet,and I'm definitely not someone to express my emotions easily,but I really really miss you guys. Just everything about you people gives me that gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach. Dreams,nightmares,hallucinations,you name it. They've become even more frequent now,and they all tell me the same thing. Go back. Go home. Return to where I belong. But I tell myself, "Not today Fang."cause dang,it hasn't been 20 years yet. My expiration date is no where near in sight,but who knows? Another day,another twist in my already screwed up fate. I miss you guys really,so so much,i promise,that no matter where I am,you guys will always have a place in my disgusting,black mosh pit of an heart. Enjoy your stay.

Fifth,and this paragraph is just for you Max. I've done a lot of thinking recently,and I have to admit,leaving for 20 years with just a dumb note isn't quite the charm,but what choice did I have?Discussing it with you guys would just make it harder for me to leave,and I would put your lives in danger. Some things,you discuss with the leader,some things,you have to do for yourself. No one gets a say in everything. And Max,trust me,it would be so hard to refuse you. I'll be honest,i don't even know how hurt I am,to the depths that everything gold I see,i remember you. Every time I close my eyes,i see you smiling at me. Every time a beautiful bird flew past or near me,it reminded me of you flying,graceful,beautiful,unreal. Every time my team gets in a sticky situation,i run the secret protocol. Its called WWMD. Go figure. There's a picture of you with me,and everyday,before I go to sleep,i look at it,and I can't help but feel dejected and lost. I had you within my grasp,and I had to let go.

God Max,i miss you,i miss you so much,that I don't even know what to say. Yeah,so I don't say much most of the time,but you get what I mean right?You always get what I mean. We have this telepathic bond,and no one gets it but you. Its always you. Maximum Ride. You're screwing my head up,it hurts!I flew over the beach,where you cut yourself,where you kissed me for the first time. I thought I saw you there,but my mind was playing its little fancy games on me. Bottom line is,no matter how much food we get,no matter how many Flyboy asses we kick,no matter how comfortable sleep gets,no matter fast I can fly,no matter how happy I get,i still feel empty. You know why? Cause Max,you're not here.

You've never been here for the past 4 years,and you won't be at the 5. Everyday I miss you more and more. Everyday its a constant struggle in my fucked mental state!Everyday I can't stop for one moment and just get you out of my head!Everyday its always you!Max Max Max Max Max!Every single fucking day!

Max,wherever you are. Just...stay strong. You don't need me. Maximum Ride is indestructible remember?Stick and stones don't break your bones,and words will never hurt you.

I love you Max. I love you so fucking much.

Heh,so much for one paragraph.

Later.

-Fang'

"God Fang..." I swelled at my eyes,mumbling to myself,not caring that I was alone,pure emotion overwhelming me. My hands covered my head,my eyes staying shut with tears everywhere,my mouth trembling in pain. Fang...

"Fang... Where are you Fang?Come back,please! The flock needs you,and I need you. Stick and stones don't break my bones,but words kill me. I..i still love you...i still freaking love you!"My voice hoarse and croaky,i entered a whole new level of pathetic-ness,and spread my wings,covered my hunched,hurtful figure. Fang was my world,and my world was gone.

Then,i felt a hand on my wings,immediately retracting it back,i saw that it was Nudge,Iggy,Gasman and Angel. They probably knew what was going on,since they didn't find me anywhere except in Fang's room,and I had been reading mentally aloud so I was sure Angel had told them by now.

"Group hug?"Iggy asked,extending his arms. The younger ones hugged him,and I tried my bestest to hug them back. They all had tears in their eyes,and I know that Fang wasn't just forgotten yet. He was still here,but in a really kinda bad way. Nudge was the worse,her eyes looked liked rubies when she was done. _Suck those tears up Max,you're the leader,stay strong. Don't let anyone look at your vulnerable side._

"Max,its okay to cry. We all cry sometimes."Angel hugged me,her head only reaching a few inches above my belly. Dang girl,we seriously need to talk about this mind reading thing of hers.

After a sob-fest,everyone piled out of the room,finding lame excuses to leave Fang's room. I stayed the longest,and I wanted to comment on Fang's post,but no,he just haves to put the no-comments button switched on. Really Fang?You wanna make my life more miserable,go ahead. It can't get any rock bottom any more from here.

_**Max,**_

_Oh you picked a really good time to show up Voice._

_**Is this really how you want things to be?**_

_Well yeah,i love being a little 19 year old crybaby. It can't possibly get any better than this right?_

_**Your flock needs a goal. A mission. Your team has become rusty.**_

_Oh yeah?We'll show you rusty. How do you kill something that's in your head?Any clues?_

_**Max,pack up,and leave. Bring everyone.**_

_Like why?We going to the Bahamas this time?France?Let Iggy 'see' some French boobies?_

_**Fang.**_

_Is gone. Man,you can miss someone too?Incredible!_

_**Listen Max,**_

_Not listening._

_**Fang is alone,all by himself.**_

_Uh,little newsflash for you,i knew that alright?Jeez._

_**Being alone means being vulnerable.**_

_Fang can take care of himself._

_**He won't have to once he's dead.**_

"WHAT?"Screaming in horror,i didn't even care to realize that I had just shouted out loud.

"Whats going on here?"Iggy asked,and soon more of the gang piled at Fang's door.

_**Listen Max,you don't have time. You have to pack up,bring everyone,and fly,to Arizona. Start looking for Fang there,or you probably won't have to look anymore,cause he'll be delivered all right. In a wooden box.**_

My eyes flooded,with the sudden realization that Fang,my Fang,was in danger. He was all alone,traveling my himself. If he got captured,no one would know. When he fought,no one would be there to watch his back. If he was injured,no one could attend to his injuries. If he was...dead...no one would even know.

"We have to find Fang. Pack your stuff,essentials only,pack food and water,some cash as well. Iggy,bring some tents. The fiber ones which are lightweight and waterproof. Angel,tell Total he's got to sit out on this one. I'll explain to Mom about everything. Meet you guys downstairs in thirty." I announced,feeling all Max-like again. Wiping the tears off my sleeve,i shot fierce looks of determination into my flock.

"Why do we have to go find Vader again?" Gasman asked,and everyone immediately looked at me,hoping that I would have an answer.

"Fang's gonna die if we don't." My voice commanding and loud,emphasis on the die part. Their eyes widened in horror,and they left almost immediately,rushing off to pack their things.

Stuffing some clothes into my backpack,i headed to Fang's room to get the Itex laptop that we had stolen from their head-quarters back. Upon placing his laptop into my bag,there stood,on the stand,the picture of me and Fang. I took it out of its frame,and folded it neatly into the waterproof compartment of my backpack.

After a good 30 minutes,the explaining had been done,the gear was ready,and we just had to say our goodbyes.

"Oh Total,take care of Akila and your cute babies okay?"Angel bent down and kissed Total's forehead,stroking his fur at the same time.

"Now now,don't get all mushy on me. Tell Fang I said hi okay?"

"Bye Max,take care alright?If there's anything I can do.."My mom pulled me into a hug.

"You'll just be a phone call away"Finishing her sentence for her,i said goodbye to Total and Akila and their pups,and surprisingly,i gave Jeb a hug.

"Your Christmas presents will be ready by the time you come back home. Take care Max." Jeb hugged me,before leaving the living room and back to his study.

Giving the home one last look,i stepped out,ready to face whatever fate had thrown our way. The flock shuffled out,wings starting to spread out,their faces determined and brave. Everyone shot me a smile,except Iggy,who managed a nod. How did he even know I was looking?

"Okay then,"I spread out my wings,and started to run,hearing my flock behind me,copying my movements. Two hard flaps downwards,and we were cruising at a steady altitude and speed,adjusting to our course.

"Lets go get Fang back."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey dudes and dudettes. Usual stuff. Not much to say, so let's get on with it yeah? Review please.**

**Chapter 2: Long Time, No See.**

Soaring through the sky, my flock and I were cruising at a speed, not that fast, but not that slow either. I could always used my warp speed, and travel faster than them, but I had to wait for the little ones to catch up. It was honestly starting to piss me off. We needed to go faster. Like, way faster than this. Fang's life was in danger, and it seemed like I was the only one aware of it.

"Max…" Nudge nudged me with the tip of her wing. (Nudge nudged, get it? Never mind.)

"I'm hungry. Could we stop for a while? We've been flying for five hours straight, and Angel wants to eat too, so do I, and I bet everyone wants to eat, so could we jus-"

"Okay! I heard you the first time. We'll land there." I literally screamed, and you if Gasman could hear my voice like two wingspans behind, it were pretty loud for Nudge. Easy? Try screaming when you're flying at 80 miles per hour. Head first for five hours, let's see you try that.

Nudge recoiled at my sudden outburst of rage, and distanced herself from me. Even Gasman and Iggy had stopped their chattering at the back about some stupid video game. How could they even think about video games when Fang was going to die? How could everyone still be so relaxed? How could anyone still think about god-damn food?

Swooping down and landing at the clearing, I sat down on the ground, my back against my teammates. No one had said a single word, and I hoped it would stay that way. But it didn't.

"What's wrong with you Max? You didn't need to scream at Nudge. Yeah I know about how irritating she gets, but all she wanted was food." Iggy spoke up behind me, and I could feel Angel at my side, waving her hand, signaling actions to get Iggy to shut his big mouth. Too late boy.

"What's wrong?" I spun around, tears already streaming down my face, my head ready to snap.

"What's wrong? Fang is going to DIE. And he's all alone, all by himself, so we're supposed to be taking tea-parties every time, and we talk about Halo and all that kind of bullshit? You tell me what's wrong Iggy!" I had shouted literally so loud, I felt the trees around us shake a little bit. Hopefully that was the end of the argument, but too bad Max, nothing ever ends well for you.

You see, I forgot to mention, that though Iggy is blind, he never backs down in what he believes in. In this case, he believed I was a spoilt brat, venting my pent up four years of anger on everyone around me. What could I say? He was right.

"Look Max, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but Nudge didn't deserve that. And you got something against Halo?" Iggy explained, while I spun around, arms crossed, facing the other direction. Then, the bombshell dropped.

"Max, Fang LEFT us. He abandoned us. He didn't care. He took off, so why should we go save him? Yeah, sure I'll be sad that he's dead, but face it; he wanted to leave, so why get him back?" I could hear Angel hang her head in despair after hearing Iggy say that. Smart girl.

"Because he is our teammate! He had to do this for the flock's survival, he's been attacked by Flyboys every single fucking day, and you tell me how many fights did we get into this year. Not even four Iggy, and when he's in trouble, you go all chicken shit on me? So, you're right, he left us, but I'm sorry, I don't have such a cruel heart to leave a friend to die, even when I haven't seen him for four years! If you feel like going home, pack up, and leave. I sure don't want to have a liability around, wouldn't you Iggy." Okay, I have to admit, that was a little harsh, but still…

"Fuck you Maximum." Iggy packed his food, and grabbed his gear. I saw him turn around and prepare to jump, but he stood there, as if wanting an apology.

"I miss Fang as much as you do. Don't forget that." With that, he took off, and began to fly away. I thought he was going home, but he was flying in the direction that we were supposed to go. As if on cue, the flock packed up, and we all headed up to join Iggy. So much for tea parties. We had just one more state to cross, and we would be in Grand Canyon land.

_Hang in there Fang, I'm coming._

**FANG'S POV:**

Unfurling my wings, I prepared to jump, after day two of spending some 'soul searching' that would last for the next 16 years. Leaving my oldest flock had already hit me hard enough, and now, I left my 'older' flock to fend for themselves, without a leader. At least Max could still take care of the old team without me.

I was in Arizona, and if you're wondering, I was being attacked by Flyboys every day. Every single day, they would increase in number, and every day I got hit worse and worse. My injuries healed pretty quickly, but my enemies come quickly as well. The sky was turning dark, and I was resting in one of the crooks on the Grand Canyon. My broken ribcage was holding up, all I needed was a good night's sleep. I turned my laptop on, and checked my blog (don't ask me how come there's Internet in the Grand Canyon). Checking my latest post, which was about stuff, and Max, I saw that there were already 2 million visitors to that.

_I don't need two million, I just need five. Or just that 'one'._

Shaking that sentimental thought out of my head, I closed the laptop, and chucked it in my Dakine backpack. It was black, and my favorite part of it was, that it had a golden interior. Gold reminds me of...gold bars, gold coins, all things rich and good. Fine and Max. Just Max.

I wasn't lying when I said she was in my mind 24/7, because she really was. Every single day, I thought of her, and how she would look like when we finally met each other again. Would she bring another handsome guy that could fly as well, and say something like,

"Hey Fang, meet Handsome-Guy-Who-Didn't-Abandon-Me-And-Break-My-Heart. He's my boyfriend, and he proposed to me while we were flying together. I mean, how sweet is that? You would never do that right? Wanna know why? Cause you left me duh. I'd thought you'd be smarter now."

Ugh. See how negative I am? Some things never change I guess. I love her, and I miss her, but she's never going to see me again. So will I. Max was everywhere in my head, she was even in my dreams! Just last night, I dreamt of her flying beside me, determination and bravery on her face, before she swooped over and held my hand, before giving me that gorgeous smile of hers. When I woke up, I found myself all alone, in pitch black darkness. Even the fire had gone out.

Of course, what I hadn't said in the blog was that my mission wasn't going after my parents at all. I had long given up in hopes of finding them. My new goal was to find out why Angel had told me I was the first to die, and see if I could put a stop to that. I couldn't die now, not before seeing her one last time. She was everything to me.

My recent scouring across the Itex buildings in the South of the U.S had only led me to conclude that I was somewhat linked to Max, but in a positive or negative way, I don't know. The puzzle pieces that I had only told me that without me, the flock wasn't the same. Yet, stronger or weaker, I didn't know. Half-hoping that their hearts grew harder and stronger, I flew to Arizona, and went into hiding. My old flock couldn't follow, this was a personal mission, and I had to do it alone. We parted company at the beach, where Max first cut herself, and where we shared our first kiss. God, the taste of her lips, it was all… Max. Deprived of her for so long, hallucinations haunted me, day and night. I would occasionally smile at myself, when happy memories of me and her caught my mind, but soon the smiles would fade, when reality set in.

She wasn't here.

Clipping my backpack to my belt buckle, I leaned against the wall, tucked in my knees, and began to drift off to sleep. Sleep was my favorite time of the day, because it was the only time where Max was with me. Eye-lids heavy, I let them close, and I was sound asleep soon after that.

_Max…._

**MAX'S POV:**

I never slept much nowadays, the longest which I could remember was this year, when I had been so dead tired of crying, because the newspaper reported a dead avian-human hybrid body found at the top of the Empire State Building. It turned out to be a hoax, and that really ticked me off.

Taking first and second watch didn't seem like much at all. I bet if I wasn't forced to, I could take watches till morning. No biggie. The New Mexican night was beautiful, stars everywhere, the crescent moon bright. I knew if Fang was beside me, he would tell me about the constellations, and what each one meant. I found it irritating once in a while, and now I felt so bad about it. I wished I had listened to him. Maybe I wouldn't get my chance to anymore.

Sniffing back tears, I did a quick 360 to see if my flock was asleep. Everyone was, so I pulled out the pocket which held the picture of Fang and I, when we went on our first date together, before it got trashed by stupid Flyboys. This picture had been taken secretly, thanks to my dearest flock, but I was glad they did. Who knew it could come in handy one day. And hurtful.

Folding it neatly, and placing it back in my pocket, I tried to fight back the tears.

_**Maximum, don't fight the pain. It's good to let go sometimes.**_

_Get the fuck outta my head Voice! I really don't need you right now…_

_**Fang will be fine. If you're quick enough, that is.**_

_Ohh, thanks for the reassurance. I'm glad we had this talk, it really made me feel better._

_**Max, just let go. You will feel much better after that.**_

_Go away. Now._

Just like that, the Voice shut up. I wished he would listen to me more of the time. Rubbing my hand across my hair, I felt the tears well up in my eyes, and roll down my cheeks. They burned, maybe because they were filled to the brim with hurt and pain that I had to hold in for so long. Soon, I was sobbing, call it wailing if you want. The pain hurt so badly, and I couldn't control myself any longer. In frustration, I snatched a nearby rock, and threw it into the woods. It made a loud crack sound, and soon, I could hear my flock beginning to wake up and stir. Shit, they couldn't see me like this. Not like this.

"Max, are you okay?" Gasman asked, his hand on my shoulder. He looked at me, before looking at the floor. Picking up the picture of me and Fang, he immediately understood the reason for me being so upset. Darn picture dropped out.

Five minutes or so later, I wasn't the only one crying. We had a huge sob fest, and we hadn't had one this major in like two years. Angel and Nudge were the worst, followed by me and Gasman. Iggy was crying, but he kept his lips pressed tightly together, so that he wouldn't make a sound. That was when I realized, I needed Fang, and the flock needed Fang. Iggy was right about Fang leaving us, but we needed him back, and though no one wanted to admit it, I knew all of us realized that the day Fang left, something in us died. Nothing changed; we just went empty somewhere, only we kept quiet, and our emotions and feelings to ourselves. Fang wasn't just a teammate, he was a best friend, a brother, and a leader.

I wished I was strong enough to say that he was my boyfriend.

After what seemed like hours of just crying our hearts out, Iggy took over my watch, and motioned me and the rest to go back to bed. I looked at my watch, pressed the light button and the faint dim showed a time of 4AM. Good, three hours of sleep was more than enough for me. I shut my eyes, wiped the tears off using my sleeve, and went to dreamland, hoping I would meet Fang there.

_Hold on Fang..We'll see you soon._

Soon, I found myself awake, in a white room, where everything was plain white. I got off the ground, and looked around for anything or anyone, but I couldn't see anything. I started walking, towards where I didn't know, all I knew was that this room was humongous because I wasn't going anywhere. Then, I heard something familiar.

"_Max?"_

My heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. No way, it wasn't possible!

"_Max? Where are you?"_

"_Fang? Fang is that you?"_I picked up my pace, trying to find where the voice came from.

"_Max? Where are you? Max? Max?" _I had no doubt about it now, that was definitely Fang's voice, something that I would never forget, not in this lifetime, not forever.

"_Fang! Fang!"_ Then I saw a splotch of black, a few hundred meters away. Fang always wore black. I ran towards the black patch, and it seemed like it was running towards me as well. As I came closer and closer, it became clear to me.

The black figure was Fang. I had found Fang. I reached out towards him, but my hand just slipped past through him. Shockingly, I tried to grab him again, and I was so sure that I passed through him another time.

"_Fang..Fang no no no! Fang!"_I was desperate now, my arms swinging wildly, trying to grasp him. I missed again and again and again. I was crying now, water flooded my eyes. I couldn't believe it…

"_Max…Max…it's okay. I love you Maximum."_ Fang leaned down, and said those words, looking at me the whole time. He stroked my hair, and I could feel it. He could touch me, but I couldn't, my hands just slipped right past his entire being. God, I longed for his touch.

"_I love you too Fang…I love you so much…"_

Fang leaned in, and closed his eyes, then, I felt it. I felt his lips, his taste, and his love. I felt Fang kissing me! Closing my eyes, I savored everything I could, kissing him as hard as I could.

When the kiss broke, I opened my eyes reluctantly, and I saw him. But he was...fading.

"_Fang? What's wrong? What's happening to you?" _I stared in shock as Fang's figure slowly faded, disappearing slowly. He was disappearing into thin air. His figure flicked off and on like a switch, and then, when he was almost gone, I felt him caress my cheek.

"_I'll always be here Maximum. I'll never be far away. Never."_

With that line said, he flickered for one last time, before he was gone. I turned around and around, looking frantically for a black patch or splotch or whatever. I needed him, I wanted him, and he was just standing in front of me a moment ago, seconds later, he was gone!

"_Fang! Fang! Come back.. Please…I can't do this alone... Fang I need you.. Fang!"_

Then, I opened my eyes and sat up immediately, four pairs of eyes looking at me intently. I had been dreaming again. It was always a nightmare now, but I could never get used to it. Angel just gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, before she went back to lie down. Soon, everyone did the same. Iggy was outside the tent, and since he could practically hear things so clearly, it didn't even matter that he couldn't see. In fact, he was probably more alert than us when we were on watch, because he focused everything onto one sense, and that was his hearing. Gasman patted him on the back to signal that it was his turn, and soon Iggy crept into the empty space beside me.

Turning on my side to face the wall, I tried to go back to sleep again.

**FANG'S POV:**

Waking up to the heat of the Arizonian sun wasn't quite a good alarm clock. Even though I was sheltered under the ledge from above, the glare was intense. Giving my eyes some time to adjust, I checked to see that all my gear was in place, before I took the map out to plan out today. The Itex headquarters in Arizona had been destroyed, much like many others, but the Flyboys kept increasing in numbers. Where were they hiding?

Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Talking about Flyboys, I heard their distinct droning sound which they emitted every time they flew. Carrying my back-pack, I jumped upwards and swooped downwards, into the valleys below. The Flyboys were strong, and they were fast, but given their heavy and bulky built, they could never be as nimble as me in the air. No one beats Nightwing right? Comic books rule!

The Flyboys were following me alright, but they definitely were having a hard time keeping up. Jutting rocks and narrow corners were just what I needed to throw them out of the air, and the Grand Canyon was full of these obstacles. Don't you just love Mother Nature?

Flying in zigzag patterns, I had learnt, made the Flyboys confused. They were wired to focus on the target, something like a lock-on in a jet. But you can't lock-on to something you can't get your sights on, so that tip came in real handy most of the time. With my raptor vision, I could see a dead end, and that was just what I needed. Slowing down on purpose, the Flyboys got closer, and I could see the dead end approaching.

Just as I was about to become bird food, I curled my body upwards, and flapped as hard as I could. The horizontal force was switched to becoming vertical, and I pushed myself upwards, my face just inches away from the rock. Hearing crashing sounds, I didn't even bother to look at the destroyed Flyboys.

It was always times like this where I missed Max the most. If she had been around, she would usually give me that look of hers, telling me to never do something that dangerous again. Of course, I wouldn't listen to her, and even now I won't, but it was the concern that tugged me. No one had been concerned about me for 4 years, and it wasn't going to change for a very long time. If that is, I get a 'long time'.

Changing my flight plan, I went recon, searching for any clues in the Grand Canyon. Itex was known to be 'adaptable' in their plans, and me and my former flock found bases disguised in mountains, underwater, all sorts of places that had space, Itex could use it. The Grand Canyon definitely had lots of space. Maybe they could have dug into the rock, and created a base inside of it. Who knew? Itex being Itex, they were unpredictable. Just one of the many other things that I hated about this corporation. Join the list.

After flying for over two hours, another Flyboy attack happened again. This time, there were hundreds of them, all around me. They literally appeared out of nowhere. It couldn't be happening, and to make things worse, they had guns. Max never let us used guns.

_Shit._

Understatement of the year. The situation I was in right now was a deep pile of shit. All dumped over me.

"You will surrender now." One of the Flyboys mechanical voices spoke, the droning almost deafening me.

"Kiss. My. Ass." I charged at them, one against a hundred of these metal losers. They came at me, the nearest getting his head kicked off cause he was too slow to avoid a roundhouse from yours truly. Moving on to the next victim, I ripped his head out, (did I mention my strength increased as I got older?) and ducked several attacks. But it was impossible, they were everywhere. Ducking a punch meant getting a kick, and ducking a kick meant getting punched. I was surrounded. And to make matters worse, I forgot totally that they had guns, only until the first bullet got stuck in my left forearm.

When the bullet landed, the Flyboys stopped attacking with their fists; instead they flew around, trying to puncture me with another bullet wound. I dodged here and there, but soon more wounds appeared, and I was losing my mobility. Retreat was the only option.

Tucking my wings together, I dive-bombed downwards, careful not to hit any rocks, or the ground even. Flying almost near the ground, I flapped harder, and tried to out run them. Thinking I was victorious after the distinct Flyboys sound was gone, I slowed down, and started looking for a place to painstakingly take out the bullets one by one. Finding shelter under a cave, I crept inside to see that it was unoccupied. But that was a stupid question, who would actually live in a cave in the middle of the Grand Canyon? Nobody! Except me, Fang, the stupid loner. I don't even have a home.

Limping, I fell to the floor after my legs gave away. I surveyed the damage, and it was pretty bad. I caught two little buggers in my right knee and calf, one in my right arm, two in my left and one in my right chest.

"Aaargh! Fuck!" Digging my hand into my right chest, I felt around the wound for my bullet. After finding it, I caught it with my thumb and my index, and pulled the damn thing out. It hurt like hell! And I had four more to go. Damn!

I shall not describe the rest, because it hurt as well, and I cursed as well. Getting Band-Aids, I wrapped my wounds. End of story. Lying down against the wall, I closed my eyes, and I saw Max. Again, it was Max. I saw her gold hair, streaking beautifully, the wind blowing from the right, her eyes trained on the horizon as she stood on the top of a tall building. Her wings were tucked in, and she looked like an angel. Her golden brown skin radiated in the sunlight, and her head turned to look at me. She stared for a moment, before she gave me a smile. Her angelic, beautiful smile. I missed it more than I would ever admit. Shaking my head to get rid of these thoughts, I opened my eyes, and reluctantly got to my feet. Running of the ground, I flapped my wings twice, and I was up in the air.

Barely less than ten minutes of flying, I felt this sharp pain in my right wing, and it hurt so badly. Turning to look at it, I saw that it was slashed, blood gushing out its side. My flight immediately turned unbalanced, and I crashed to the ground, sand cutting my face and getting into my eye. It wasn't possible, I couldn't have heard anything and still get hurt.

When I finally opened my eyes, they widened in horror at the figure I saw, standing right in front of me.

"Hello, Fang." A smirk on his face, his bloodied blade hung and stuck out from this forearm. An evil grin spread across his face, his eyes delighting in my misery.

"Long time no see, Omega."

**Max's POV:**

After waking up later than scheduled, the flock and I passed Phoenix an hour ago. Our speed was good; we were making good progress, till…

_**Max, you need to hurry.**_

_Can't you see what I'm doing?_

_**You are not fast enough.**_

_I'm trying my best here! You're not totally helpful._

_**Fang will die if you don't hurry. Use your speed to your advantage. Having one person as backup is better than having none at all.**_

As much as I'd hate to admit it, the Voice was right. We were clocking good time, but we had to be faster. I needed to be faster.

"Look guys, the Voice told me to hurry. Fang is in trouble, and I have to go save him now. Can you guys catch up with me later?"

"Sure. Right guys?" Angel was the first so speak, and soon everyone nodded. I hoped she didn't use her mind control power again.

_Go Max, we'll be fine. _Angel spoke to me through my mind.

_Take care of everyone._ With that, I closed my eyes, relaxed myself, before opening them, and I flapped harder, till suddenly, my speed increased thrice, and I was going at nearly three hundred miles per hour. Minutes later, the Grand Canyon was in sight. Now all I needed was to find….Fang? Omega? What was he doing here?

My raptor vision, focusing on the pair. Fang wasn't the one standing up, Omega was, and his right arm had a knife all bloody. I looked at Fang, and I saw that his wing had torn apart. This wasn't helping me suck my tears at all. Just seeing Fang again made me want to cry my guts out, and seeing him about to die, and me not being to do anything about it, made things worse.

Then, I heard sounds, droning sounds, and when I slowed down, hundreds of Flyboys had appeared in front of me. They were buying time, so Fang could be finished! I plowed my way through the first wave of Flyboys, rage, hurt and anger all fueling my fighting fuel. But I was getting hurt as well. These Flyboys had guns, and they were spraying them all over the place.

_Think Maximum…think!_

Got it! I ducked a few bullets, whizzing sounds flying past my ears. Grabbing hold of two guns from downed Flyboys that lay beaten on the ground, I pressed the trigger, and the machine sprayed bullets everywhere. I was mowing them through, and soon, the remaining Flyboys had been destroyed. But not with a price, a price that I couldn't bother the least. Not right now. Not till I saved Fang.

But I was too late.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for being so late guys!**

**Kind of got into the Christmas mood, and getting dragged around to malls and shops which I didn't even know existed at all by the 2 most important females in my life. Plus I had lots of visiting and things along with the New Year, so I apologize.**

**On with the story!**

**Oh yea, 3 reviews? Sigh.**

**But I love you guys anyway (:**

**MAX'S POV**

"FANNNGG!" I shouted, screaming, while I stood there in horror, watching Fang get slashed apart. The world seemed to turn to slow motion, time restraining me, as if it didn't want me to save Fang. I ran as fast as I could, but even the small distance between me and him seemed like a mile. My eyes blurred with tears, hurt filling every single inch of my body. Even though I had escaped with just minor cuts and bruises, the moment I saw _him_, bloody on the ground, groaning in pain, his breath hitching and gasping for air, I felt so weak. I felt so useless and tormented, my mind tortured from the mess that lay in front of me.

Fang was slashed by Omega, like a maniac, and it didn't even occur to me for a single second that he was watching me hold a dying Fang in my arms and I was completely vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. Omega stood there laughing, giggling even, watching me in pain was such an enjoyment to him.

"FANG!" I looked up after hearing Nudge's voice, and saw that my flock had arrived. But even they were too late. Angel and Gazzy landed right beside me, and immediately Angel began to cry. Gasman had tears in his eyes, but they were soon replaced by growls of anger and fury. Iggy knew somehow what was going on; Nudge stared at us in utter disbelief.

"Fuck you!" Gasman jumped in the air, lunging himself at Omega, along with Iggy and Nudge. Angel tried to stand up, but she was so mortified that she couldn't even stop crying.

I held him in my arms, my hands stroking his face, watching his pained expression. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

"Max…." I tensed up, hearing him call my name after so long. I was so choked up I couldn't even speak. Fang had been slashed from his left chest till his waist, and it was gushing blood. Even a medical dumbass like me knew that Fang wouldn't last much longer. I had to get him home, where my mom could treat him. It was the only way. I didn't care how far we were, I didn't care how heavy Fang was, or how badly hurt my flock would get, covering my escape. All I knew was that if Fang died, I wouldn't last much longer myself.

Not saying a word, I lifted Fang onto my shoulder, and immediately his blood stained the sleeve of my shirt. I buckled slightly under his weight, but I was determined to save him. Struggling to even lift myself off the ground, I ran off the edge of the cliff, my wings flapping downwards strongly, as I carried Fang on my back. We were going downwards, and even I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't carry someone that was heavier for long, let alone fly. Losing altitude quickly, I tried flapping again, but it didn't work. I was plummeting to the ground, and if I fell, we all would. Fang wouldn't even have a chance of surviving now.

Then, all of a sudden, a strong hand grabbed me from the top, easing Fang's weight. I looked to see who my savior was, and saw that it was Iggy. I turned around to see if the rest were okay, and saw Omega stand there, with a smirk on his face, before he vanished again into thin air. Angel, Nudge and Gazzy were flying right beside us, with the girls starting to cry hysterically. Hearing their hurt, I tried to fight back the tears of my own, wishing so much that everything would be okay. I hated it when people saw the weak side of me, the vulnerable side. I had been too emotional, letting down my guard to my teammates when I was their leader. Even now, the enemy knew what my greatest weakness was and always had been.

My greatest weakness was _him._

_Fang._

Tears streamlined on my face as the wind blew hardly against them. I had never expected that our reunion with Fang would be such a dangerous and tormenting one, and if it could be our last. Shoving all negative thoughts away, I tried desperately to go faster, but Iggy and the flock didn't achieve mach speed like I did. And even if I did go into turbo mode, could I carry Fang that far?

Not caring at all, I snatched Fang from Iggy, and before I could answer his question, I sped off into the horizon.

"Max! It's too far! You'll exhaust yourself!" Iggy shouted, but soon his voice was beyond my hearing. I had to save Fang, I just had to!

Then I realized that Fang was being too darn quiet.

"Fang?" My voice, fighting against the wind, barely a whisper. I tried to see if he was awake, but I knew that seeing him in pain would just rip me apart, and I had to focus to stay at this speed. I didn't even know if he heard me, I didn't even know if he could even hear me. The tears flowed continuously, showing no sign of stopping soon.

"Fang...please...please be okay…" I whispered, pulling Fang closer to me. He was limp, his eyes barely open his shirt all blood-soaked now, and we were still miles away. At this rate, I knew Fang would never survive it. Time was my enemy now, and the price was Fang's life.

"Max…." I almost dropped him in relief at hearing his voice. I looked downwards, catching Fang's deep dark brown eyes. God, how I missed him, that even looking into his eyes alone sent me on the verge of emotional breakdown. If he died, I think I would go mental. Kill myself even. Fang meant that much to me.

"Hold…on…" Fang breathed, and closed his eyes again. I didn't know what he meant, but I just pulled him tighter.

I couldn't believe where we were when I opened my eyes. Fang and I were at the door of our house, standing right in front of it. Fang could teleport! Realizing where we were, I literally kicked open the front door, and saw my mom sitting on the couch, reading the paper. When her eyes turned to me, they widened in horror, and she sprang up, urging me to follow her down to the medical basement where it could be converted into a mini operation theater. I rushed down the stairs, and placed Fang on the operation table. Ripping his shirt apart, I saw how bad the wound was, and it was still bleeding. Fang's lips were pale now, cold sweat all over his gorgeous face. My mom fumbled with tools, getting into her surgery gown, and by now, even Jeb was downstairs getting sanitized.

I held Fang's hand, pressed against my sobbing face, clutching it so tightly that my nails left marks on his.

"Fang…hang in there…please…I need you Fang…if you die I…i-i…I die…"I murmured against his hands, my eyes sore and red from crying for so long. Fang turned slowly, to look at me once more.

"Max… I love you…" Whispering, Fang closed his eyes, and soon, he was out.

I had to leave the room while my parents operated on Fang. I trembled, shivered, sobbed my heart out, and still I felt so painful. My heart was being tortured, my mind was being fucked, and my body was weak with despair. I slumped against the wall, holding my head in my hands, before I stood up again, banging my head on the wall repeatedly. Hitting my head so hard till it bled, but it never amounted to the pain I would experience if I lost Fang.

**IGGY'S POV**

When the flock finally arrived, we all rushed downwards, to where the basement was. Hearing sobbing sounds hurt the living hell out of us, because the cries we heard had so much pain in them. And it could only be one person down there.

_Max._

Almost tripping myself down the stairs, I heard a repeated banging sound on the wall. Because I couldn't see, the rest of the flock got to Max first, but it didn't take me long to figure out where the banging sound came from. I rushed towards Max, my sense of touch and hearing guiding me. The flock was around me, because now I could hear Angel and Nudge crying as well.

_Fang, you have to stay alive. Or this flock won't last much longer._

I held Max in my arms, and tried to suppress my tears. She clung onto me, her hands clenching my tears stained shirt in her fists, her body shaking uncontrollably. Muttering words of encouragement wouldn't help, because now I had difficulty speaking.

I could feel the hurt radiating off Max, and for once I was so glad I was blind, because I wouldn't have to see how hurt Max and the rest of the flock was.

**MAX'S POV**

Never, in my entire life, have I felt so hopeless, helpless and desperate.

People used to think that Maximum Ride was unbreakable, that no amount of hardship or trauma would make her shed a tear, let alone cry buckets, but today; all those rumors were proven wrong as I cried my eyes out today, just outside the operation theatre. My eyes were sore and red, and my head was spinning in circles, making me feel really giddy. For the whole four hours, I did not look at anything or anyone, just the floor, my head hanging in despair, crying and crying. The rest of the flock's sadness was deafened by mine, because I was literally shouting in pain.

I imagined, if Fang died right now, right here, what would I do next? Would I cry my miserable days away, spending the entire time in Fang's room? Would I find Omega and take revenge? Would I rip Omega apart, and beat him up till my hands bled? What next? What about the flock? Could they function properly without a leader? Because I know, that if Fang died, I would never have the courage to be the leader again. What is a leader going to do anyway? Cry her ass off? None of the flock would look up to me, because even I could not forgive myself if Fang died. I was their leader, and I was responsible for their lives. If my right hand man could die on me, who else couldn't?

Suddenly, through my distraught thinking, the operation light flickered off, and even with my eyes shut, I stood up, and ran to her, looking at my mom with tears in my eyes, grabbed her forearms and tried to steady my breath.

"Mom! Mom, how is Fang? Is he okay? Is he d-dead? Is he alive? Is he going to die? Will he-"

"Max my dear, Fang's fine. He's just lost a lot of blood that's all. We had a transfusion set up, and he took almost four liters of your blood. Be thankful that we had a donation. If he came here any later, he would have-" After standing there, and trying to asses in my mind what my mom had just said, I ran into the operating theatre, not caring about my mom's description. I didn't hear any footsteps, so I knew the flock wanted to give me some time alone with Fang. After all, I was the heaviest hit, and they knew Fang wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see him. Running down the hallway, thoughts entered my mind. What would it feel like, to see Fang again? Would I be mad, and pissed that he abandoned us? Or would I cry tears of joy, weeping like a baby by his side and thankful that he was alive. Pushing the door open, I tried so hard to choke back the tears.

"Max…" Fang gasped, quietly, in his low and dark voice. He was only half-dressed, a big bandage coiled tightly around his body, his wings all tattered and bruised, his arms had cuts everywhere, but he looked as gorgeous as he did before. I stood against the door, leaning on it for support, cause my knees went all Jell-O when I saw Fang, and I struggled to even shuffle towards him

"Maximum…"Fang breathed my name again, this time reaching for me with his hands raised. I shifted myself to his side, tears in my eyes, and intertwined my hands with his. The moment I did that, the tears fell, and I lay on Fang's bare chest, crying my tears out. My hands turned to clenched fists, thankful and grateful that Fang was alive. His free arm surrounded me, and stroked the spot in between my wings. There was no dialogue going on, for I was too choked up to speak, and I knew Fang was as well. The physical contact was more than enough now, and we could save the talking for later. Right now, seeing Fang alive was enough to make me go numb, let alone lie down and be surrounded my his familiar embrace.

"Maximum…I...I'm sorry…for everything…i…I missed you so much Maximum." Fang whispered into my hair, his voice soft and tender. I cried even more when he said that, and I dug myself deeper into him, flinging my arms around his neck.

"Fang…thank God you're alive…what would I ever do without you Fang? Don't leave me again okay? Please, these four years without you have been the worst of my life. I waited… I waited every fucking day…and…and I fucking missed you Fang! I missed you so damn much! You left me! You left me to die! You knew I would screw up without you and yet…and yet…oh god Fang!" Sobbing loudly, my words came out louder and louder, though my throat was hoarse and hurting from crying so much. I don't know how to explain how I felt, I was just completely overwhelmed.

As I lifted myself off him, I looked into his eyes, and for the first time, in my entire life, I saw tears in Fang's eyes. They rolled down his cheeks, and they didn't stop. Instead, the tears continued, dripping onto Fang's bandage. He looked at me, and I could see him lip tremble.

Pulling me down towards him, even with his injured arm, Fang gave me a tight squeeze, and I squeezed him back. Resting my head in the crook of his neck, I continued to sob, and above me I could hear Fang's breathing becoming more stuttered, showing the exact same emotions that I felt.

"Max…I still…I still love you Maximum. I-I still love you." Fang spoke as he caressed my sensitive spot, his hold on me getting tighter, pulling me closer into his embrace.

"Fang…I love you too." Mumbling into his chest, I tilted my head up to look at him with tear filled eyes. His gaze caught mine, and his calloused fingers ran across my cheek, wiping the stray tear marks across my face. His tender touch made me quiver and shake, my hands reaching for his, while I tilted my head in the direction of his touch, longing for more of him.

His hand cupped my cheek, its warmth radiating throughout my entire body. He pulled my head in, and began to close the distance between us. I didn't hesitate not one bit, for I knew I needed his lips against mine, separation bringing me hunger for every part of Fang.

Our lips touched, barely grazed each other, before I felt more of him, his lips kissing me hard and hungrily. Eager and desperate, he pulled me to him, while I had my arms around his neck pull him down towards me. I needed Fang. I needed him so much. Our lips smothered around each other's, and soon I found him in my mouth, his tongue exploring my mouth, catching mine in the process, while I brushed mine against his, wanting so much more of him.

When we had to finally pull away, I rested my head on his exposed shoulder, and just lay quiet, with my eyes shut. I needed some time to readjust to my drastically changed surroundings, cause Fang just being here was enough to make me faint.

Fang, as usual, understood me so well, and he spread his wings across the room, barely fitting at all, before his wings wrapped them around me. I snuggled deeper, loving everything about Fang. My wings stood close to my body, and let Fang's wings encircle them, covering me, like he was my guardian angel.

"Max, I need to explain some things. Then it will all make sense to you, but right now, go to sleep, you hadn't had one in days. I'll be fine. I love you Max. I love you so much."

As Fang said his words, I felt his wings tighten around me, his hands pulling me closer. I reveled in the feeling of being with him after so long, and put my arms around him and squeezed him tight."

"I love you too Fang. Don't leave me…please?"

"I won't. Never again. Ever."

For the first time in years, I smiled, and had the longest sleep I had in a long time.


End file.
